Music icon Cher has asked a federal judge to order Mary Bono, widow of the late Sonny Bono, to pay more than $1 million in legal fees following her victory in a long-running royalties dispute.
Cher’s legal team argues that Mary Bono attempted to misuse provisions of the US Copyright Act to improperly terminate Cher’s contractual rights and secure a financial windfall. They also claim Mary prolonged the case for five years by advancing what they described as unreasonable and frivolous legal arguments.
At the centre of the dispute is Cher’s divorce settlement with Sonny Bono, which granted her a 50 percent share of his songwriting royalties for hits such as I Got You Babe and The Beat Goes On, as well as half of the royalties from recordings they made together. The court ultimately ruled that these rights were protected under state law and could not be terminated.
In a new motion, her lawyers stated that she was forced to spend $1,023,605.50 in legal fees to defeat what they called an “improper attempt at termination,” stressing that Cher “prevailed completely” in the case.
Sonny Bono died in a skiing accident in 1998, after which Mary Bono assumed control of his estate. The publishing rights became eligible for termination under federal law beginning in 2018, triggering the legal battle.
A hearing on the singer’s request for reimbursement of her legal fees is scheduled for February 23.
